America

Presidential Pardons

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He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. MIcah 6:8 NKJV

On January 20, 1977, President Jimmy Carter was sworn into office. One of the moments that I most fondly remember from that day was when our new president opened his Bible and read this verse from the book of Micah. Today I was reminded of those words by the reactions of political commentators from both the left and right. Strangely enough just about everyone seems to be angry about mercy. Some are incensed by President Trump pardoning 1,500 folks from the January 6th event, and others are angry about President Biden’s pardoning of a variety of people including his family. Almost everyone is demanding justice, few are remembering mercy. Today’s verse reminds us that God requires justice, but he loves mercy. On the day that the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, they were pretty intent on justice. Yet while they were busy making their demands known, Jesus simply stooped down and began writing in the dust. I bet that made them even madder! When no one seemed to take the hint, Jesus finally stood up and said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” (John 8:7)

That really got their attention and then things got really quiet. Finally, one by one, beginning with the oldest (Yup that’s me!) they began to drop their rocks and head home. Then Jesus turned to the woman and gave her a pathway to justice by telling her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11b) God loves mercy, Jesus loves mercy, and we Christians ought to love mercy more than anyone else. We are all just like that woman, because we have received the most. So, why not put our stones, and begin loving mercy, practicing forgiveness and praying for our nation and its leaders to do the same!

The Most Important Cabinet Position

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Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. Proverbs 15:22 KJ

Since the recent election of Donald Trump to the presidency, the airwaves have been filled with announcements as well as speculations as to who will fill which role in the new administration. But the most important cabinet position has yet to be discussed. Who will fill the role of spiritual advisor to our incoming commander in chief? Everyone knows that George Washington was our first president, but few have read that it was Pastor John Gano who baptized him and Mason Locke Weems who pastored the little church near Mount Vernon where Washington attended. Some presidential spiritual advisors were well known such as Peter Marshall, with Truman or Billy Graham with Eisenhower, but most remain obscure. But what matters is not the star power of these advisors, but their spiritual integrity. Let us remember to pray for God to send good and wise counsellors, not only for our president but for all our leaders. Let us also pray that they will not only seek wise spiritual counsel but even more that they will seek the wisest counselor of all: the Word of God!

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That’s Why We Came Here

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By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. Hebrews 11:9 ESV

On election day, my wife and I arrived at our polling place by 5:45 a.m. “Now that’s an early hour to be voting,” you might exclaim. But we weren’t there to vote. we showed up because it was our job as poll workers. If you came in yesterday, you would have seen my wife Nancy, with a friendly smile, gently showing each person how to put their ballots into the machine. Since I cannot stand for long hours, I sit at a table, hand out the ballots and then explain how to fill them out. As people turn to go to the voting booths, I often add, “Thanks for voting!” After saying this for hundreds of times yesterday, I rarely listened for their replies, until one young Latino, turned to me with a big smile and responded, “That’s why we came here!”

After all the anger, arguing and overall hooting and hollering that goes on every election, we often lose sight of the privilege we have as Americans just to vote. We forget that having the chance to freely vote for our leaders, is a rare commodity in today’s world. Like Abraham, many have left homes, family, and familiar surroundings and by faith have settled here. With Veteran’s Day right around the corner, we need to not only be thankful to God for our blessings, but we should also be grateful for the veterans who have sacrificed and sometimes even given their lives for that blessing. Generation after generation of people have come from all around the world with the phrase, “That’s why I came here!” So, let’s be thankful for that right and ask God how we may use our freedom to share the message of the love of Christ with someone else today!

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